Location: Canmore, AB – intersection of Three Sisters Blvd & Riva Heights
Directions: From Calgary, on the Trans-Canada Highway, take the Three Sisters Parkway exit to Canmore. This road turns into Three Sisters Blvd. Follow the road to the intersection with Riva Heights – the playground is on the right, just past some condos.
Parking: Free parking in an adjacent lot.
Surrounding Park Area: This playground appears to be part of Canmore’s park system. It’s adjacent to a disc golf course, and walking paths run by the playground and into neighboring parkland.
Age Range: 0 – 12
Ground Cover: Pea gravel
Shade: A boardwalk leads from the playground to a small shelter a very short distance away. It would provide shade for a picnic in the summertime.
Amenities: There is a port-a-potty on the pathway leading to the playground from the parking lot.
Seating: There are several benches around the playground
Accessibility: The pathways leading to the playground are paved, but the playground itself is not accessible due to the pea gravel ground cover.
Playground Features: The main feature of this playground is a train with an engine and caboose. The train has small tables with little seats inside, and a “tunnel” at the front that kids can crawl through to access a compartment beside the funnel. Older kids can climb to the top of the train, which is not very high.
There is also a small train station with a seat and little bowls to fill with gravel. Next to this is an activity board placed at the right height for very young toddlers to use.
They playground also has a small spinner, two disc swings, and an oversized see-saw.
Overall Assessment: This playground is fantastic. My kids loved the train – it was great for climbing, but also lead to a lot of imaginative play. If it was the only thing in the park, we still would have been there for an hour.
However, I liked that some of the other activities were placed at baby-toddler height – this is particularly handy for people with kids of different ages.
Once you factor in the incredible mountain scenery, this playground is a must-see.
Katie is a librarian and freelance writer now based in Saskatoon.
